Group of St. Rose students, advisers to assist homeless in the nation’s capital

Several students from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., load their suitcases into a car early Saturday morning in preparation for their trip to Washington, D.C. to advocate for and provide assistance to the area’s homeless population.
Photo Provided by The College of St. Rose

The group of 15 students and five advisers from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., poses for a photo before departing for their service trip to Washington, D.C. to help the homeless and destitute in the nation’s capital.
Photo Provided by The College of St. Rose

ALBANY >> For some, the charitable spirit didn’t end following the holidays as students and advisers from The College of St. Rose made their way down to Washington D.C. early Saturday morning to advocate for and provide assistance to the homeless.

While in the nation’s capital, the group, made up of 15 students and five advisers, will not only visit the offices of numerous legislators but also volunteer at different soup kitchens to help distribute meals.

Even though the students are doing this during their last week of winter break, it doesn’t seem to bother them, as Elyse Oosterman. a junior at St. Rose, said they enjoy doing it. They also don’t mind leaving the Capital District, as they know their actions will have more of an impact in D.C.

“We all really like community service and the reason why we go to D.C. instead of staying in Albany is because we can talk to our national congressmen [rather] than just our regional [leaders] and make more of an impact,” Oosterman said.

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The students will be meeting with U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson. They will speak with them about issues regarding war veterans and homelessness and also how incarceration can sometimes lead to a person ending up homeless.

Oosterman said they will also discuss the recent $5 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food stamps for those struggling to make ends meet.

According to a press release issued by college, the students will also be attending seminars addressing topics such as homelessness among veterans and the impact of incarceration.

The students will also be volunteering at various organizations that provide meals to the homeless. According to the release, 10 of the volunteers will serve over 1,000 meals a day at So Others Might East, five others will be serving breakfast at Charlie’s Place at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, and the remainder will work at DC Central Kitchen, where they will serve meals made from leftovers.

Jobs such as handing out meals, greeting people entering and leaving the building, setting and clearing tables and washing dishes will be performed by the students, according to the press release. They will be staying at Shalom Place, which provides shelter to those looking to learn more about and experience social justice through volunteering.

This was the 19th year the college has participated in this effort and it has always been scheduled during the winter months. Oosterman, a student leader in the group, said that was done on purpose.

“We make a lot of impact by taking a group of students every year and we raise more awareness because it’s so cold,” said Oosterman.